Category: My Son

I want to apologize to my readers. For the past two and a half years, I have given a near daily stream of education news in Delaware. The past few days, if you read my article about what has been going on with my son or follow me on Facebook, have demanded I take a backseat to my usual education news. It won’t be permanent. I had a post already set to go which I put out on Saturday about DOE ESSA surveys. On top of a very hectic work weekend, I’ve been dealing with the fallout of facing yet another education institution that would rather discriminate than accommodate. But it has hit my son very hard. He is not okay with this. He is my first priority, always. So if you send me tips and I am unable to reply, please understand it is not intentional and I will catch up with it all. Thank you all, and thank you for all the messages wishing my son and my family well. Your support means more than you will ever know. Family first, always!

Like this:

This past weekend I’ve been going through pictures from the time my son was born until the present. It brings back a lot of memories all at once. But most of all, I remember the joy. Every single thing he did was brand new for him when he was a baby. Learning everything, starting with how to breathe on his own. All those sleepless nights when he had colic in the first couple weeks were worth it. All the diaper changes, his impeccable aim, and the messy food. I wouldn’t trade any of it for a minute.

As parents, we see everything. We watch our babies crawl, sit up, and then walk. And talk. It’s like watching evolution in fast motion. The term “they grow up so fast” is very true. You blink, and they look older the next day.

And after they get out of that terrible toddler time, they start to think on their own enough and they are ready for school. And they have no idea what to expect, but they soon learn Mommy and Daddy aren’t the only teachers. Things they do at home aren’t necessarily the same as what is expected of them in school. But they have fun…

They start to meet more and more kids, and they start picking up things. Their minds expand, and curiosity becomes a game of “What happens if I do this?”

You start to see them do things you never thought they would do, and at times you can only laugh. It’s what makes them unique, God’s gift to the world. None of them are the same. They try new things and stretch their boundaries of what they are familiar with…

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They learn how to be part of a team. But sometimes they have things going against them, and they have to work even harder. Things don’t always work, but they keep going. It’s all they know how to do. But it’s hard for them to keep the smiles going…

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They aren’t always happy, and you can see it more and more as they get older. The constant smiles disappear more and more, and you have to reach out harder. But that’s okay, cause that’s why parents are here. We are here for them during the good times…

and the bad, when they need us the most…

And the sometimes, when they aren’t even watching us, we have to fight for them…

and you meet strange people along the way…

Governor Markell, Kevin Ohlandt and Jacob Ohlandt, 5/14/15

But that’s okay, life is full of surprises and twists. It’s what makes it so complicated and unpredictable. What is very hard for parents is to see your child and you view them differently. You start to realize, they are getting old fast. It isn’t going to be long now, they are going to be an adult.

But one thing is constant, and that is a parent’s love for their child. That doesn’t go away, ever…